Sindh villages drown as Indus River swells beyond limits, Motorway closed near Jalalpur Pirwala

After having wreaked havoc in upper and central Punjab, water has inundated scores of villages in southern Punjab and Sindh as the River Indus is in high flood at Guddu Barrage, Sukkur Barrage, and Kotri Barrage, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Sunday.   

The inflow of water in the river at Chachran Sharif near Rahim Yar Khan has been recorded at over 782,000 cusecs, while it has exceeded the 612,000 cusecs mark at Guddu, where the outflow has been recorded at over 582,000 cusecs.  

Only in the last 24 hours, the water level at Guddu rose by over 67,000 cusecs, and it is expected to go up further in the next few hours.   

On the other hand, the water level at Sukkur Barrage has been recorded at 470,000 cusecs and at 262,000 cusecs at Kotri Barrage.

Several villages flooded near Kandiaro

Crops grown over thousands of acres of land in the katcha area near Kandiaro were destroyed while dozens of villages were submerged after the River Indus burst its banks. 

People were confined to their homes as road links between villages were severed. 

The affected people have appealed to the government to send rescue teams to their area. 

In Ubauro, the administration has urged people to evacuate and move to safe places along with their cattle as water from the River Indus has spilled over into scores of villages, inundating crops.   

M5 Motorway service area inundated near Jalalpur Pirwala

The service area at Motorway 5 has been inundated with flood water near Jalalpur Pirwala on Sunday which has forced the motorway officials to closed it. The M5 Motorway has been closed near Jalalpur Pirwala due to the risk posed by floods in the area, a motorway police spokesperson has said in a statement. Spokesperson Imran Ahmed was quoted as saying that the M5 is being closed to protect road users from floods and that traffic is being diverted. “Northbound traffic is being redirected from Uch Sharif, Jhangra and Jalalpur Interchange,” the statement read. “Southbound traffic is being diverted from Shah Shams, Sher Shah and Shujaabad South to alternative routes.” 

Ahmed added that NHA personnel are placing sandbags and stones to block floodwater.

Flood leaves trail of destruction in southern Punjab 

On the other hand, the mobility of people in southern Punjab has been badly affected as road links lie severed.

Jalalpur Pirwala Interchange has been closed for traffic due to which those heading to Sukkur and Karachi are confronting difficulties.   

Several villages in Shujaabad were flooded after the super dyke was washed away, rendering the people homeless. 

Flood situation persists in River Sutlej

The flood situation in the River Sutlej in Bahawalpur persists as the river is in high flood at Empress Bridge, in medium flood at Ganda Singh Wala, Mailsi and Head Islam while in low flood at Head Sulemanki. 

Reporters: Zubair Ahmad Kalwarr, Sherbaz Baloch and Waqas Siddiqui, Tahir Jodhyana